Integration testing in Software Testing plays an important role in making sure that the various pieces of software work together correctly when brought together. In this blog, let us look at the various reasons behind doing integration testing.
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Units of software are integrated together to implement a comprehensive functionality. Examples of units that could be integrated are software modules that are
- written by other developers
- internal and external libraries
- external third-party software like databases
There are two aspects to test in an integration. One is if the units or software work together correctly when put together, and the other is verifying that the interfaces between the units and software are behaving as per the contracts. Interfaces testing is especially important for interoperability testing as in standard interfaces between two devices that implement the two sides of the standard.
Based on the two aspects above, you could come up with a test strategy for the integration. Note that there might be situations where you might want to integrate more than two software. In these cases, it is advisable to go step-by-step, first integrate two modules or software, and then to integrate with others one by one. A big-bang method of integrate all the pieces at once is not advised, as it would lead to defects and breakages at different points in potentially uncontrollable ways, which would then become difficult to debug, test, and raise the confidence.
As far as tools, as always, I would encourage you to do the research on which ones to use based on your scenario, languages used, dependencies, etc. In some cases, your integration testing might depend on the hardware you use, hence it will be required to come up with the appropriate strategy for it.
For more detailed inputs on how to design your integration testing in software testing strategy for your organisation, you can contact me.
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